Humans keep trying to turn hospitality into an algorithm, then act surprised when it feels empty. I’ve spent a lifetime proving the opposite. Eighty eight countries. Forty nine states. Two hundred sixty six Manhattan hotels, one night each, like a very nerdy world tour of belonging. Not to chase status. To study the one thing every traveler wants but can’t book online.
Welcome.
Not the scripted kind. The human kind. The kind your grandmother understood better than any brand manual. Feed first, ask later. Make space for the other. Create connection before expectation. That idea shaped me in Damascus and carried me through every hotel, ryokan, hammam, hacienda, honky tonk, and roadside motel along the way.
My new monthly column for A Hotel Life digs into that idea. How culture shapes care. How design can open a heart or shut it down. How belonging beats any amenity. And why the future of hospitality will always depend on the oldest instinct we have.
If you work in this business, or just love the way a good welcome feels, this one is for you.
